Epic of the Sands
by Sleepwalking Dreamer
Summary: Alternate Universe. An ancient evil slumbering in the desert sands has been released, and the Suzaku and Seiryuu Seishi must unite and journey to a land of ancient mysteries in order to save both worlds.
1. Prologue

**Epic of the Sands**

_A "Fushigi Yuugi" AU Fan Fiction Piece_

_By: Sleepwalking Dreamer_

DISCLAIMERS:

_Fushigi Yuugi_ © Yuu Watase

Irisi, Seren Kendall, Deryn Kendall and other related characters © Sleepwalking Dreamer

Everything else © respective owners

NOTES:

It has been a rather long while since I last wrote _Fushigi Yuugi_ fan fiction. While those few people who know me may raise their eyebrows, since I have sworn this series to the ground many times over in their company, I will say now that ever since I saw it, I have adored it. While Miaka might not be my favorite character in the world, there is no denying that I have loved the others – even Nakago, for all his wickedness, has a special place in my heart, and hence, in my imagination.

In order to catch up with memories that I have lost (meaning, my knowledge of the series), I have scanned the Internet, looking for reliable sites that give detailed episode summaries, as well as skipping through sites with good quality images. But most of all, I have been particularly focusing on the fan fiction that has been written thus far.

I have come a long way from when I first dabbled in _Fushigi Yuugi_ fan fiction, and I have decided to try something a little different. I am not sure if I can get away with this, of course, but one can always try. Hence, inspired by my love for all things relating to the ancient Egyptians, I have decided to create a little more trouble for the Seishi, and have concocted a new adventure for them to "enjoy."

And one more thing: as some readers may notice, I have stuck to the Western way of speaking, as it were (though, as many will notice, it is quite formal – the result of imbibing as much of Tolkien's works as I could for writing my fan fiction pieces in _that_ particular fandom). My Japanese is extremely rusty, and I do not really want to trust it when it comes to writing. While I will certainly maintain Chichiri's "no das," (I have always found them infinitely amusing) most readers will note that, apart from that, this will most likely sound like the English dubbing of the series. I hope that this does not trouble others; particularly those who are devoted to the Japanese subbed versions. I assure you that I prefer the subbed version to the dubbed version (mostly because Hotohori's voice is much more sensuous in the subbed version than in the dubbed), but with my knowledge of Japanese already half-deleted from my mind (replaced, as it were, by Elvish genealogies and a Númenorean King List), I find it preferable to write purely in English.

TEASER:

A few days after the failed summoning of Suzaku a major disaster suddenly occurs in the land of Khemet, a desert country very far to the southwest. A long slumbering evil has suddenly awoken, and it threatens to devour not only the world within _The Book of the Four Gods: Sky and Earth,_ but also the world beyond it. Unable to ignore the threat, the Four Gods unite, thus bringing to a screeching halt the ongoing rivalry between the Suzaku and Seiryuu Seishi.

In the meantime, a mysterious young woman appears at the gates of the Palace in Konan. Calling herself Irisi, she claims that she is a messenger from Khemet, and has ridden all the way to Konan to seek aid of that kingdom. At Taiitsu-kun's urging, the Suzaku and Seiryuu Seishi follow her back to Khemet – a land torn apart by greed, treachery, and war. There, they learn a great many things, such as ancient mysteries and arcane magic…as well as several secrets that may spell the end of their world – and even the world beyond the _The Book of the Four Gods_.

* * *

**Prologue **

The night wind traced feathery footsteps over the sand dunes, swirling in an eternal dance whose beauty few could appreciate. High above, the sickle moon scattered a pale, watery light over the landscape, one that was constantly battered by extremes of heat and cold.

It took an experienced eye and a trained ear to see all of these things, and to appreciate them as well. To most, the desert was a harsh and cruel land, incapable of supporting life.

He smirked, and shook his head, the dark cloth swathed all over his head and face shifting but a little. That did not matter now. What was more important was finding his goal. He would have time later on…time to enjoy the wilderness and the solitude.

Yes, there would be time to enjoy the solitude.

He glanced up at the sky. It was clear, with not even a single wisp of cloud to obscure the view of the stars. Since the moon's light was beginning to wane, the stars could be seen ever more clearly. He stood there, gazing a moment longer, and his smirk became a smile.

Almost time, he thought. It was almost time for what he had come to do.

His gaze shifted around, looking for the right constellation. If a few moments, he found it: the Swordsman of the Sky, the giant who protects the heavens – and heralds the world's demise.

He closed his eyes, remembering the prophecy that he had read. When the moon has reduced itself to a sickle, and in that aspect drifts into the hand of the Swordsman of the Sky… Yes, yes, it was time.

"It will happen tonight, My Lord," he murmured. "It will be tonight. And the worlds shall never be as they were ever again."

A powerful gust of wind blew by, picking up sand and dust and swirling it around. When the little dust storm had died down, he was gone, the falling sand already filling in the imprints left by his feet, and it was as though he had never been there before.

* * *

Taiitsu-kun felt the shift in the air. It started out as a small ripple, something that happened from time to time. She ignored it, knowing that it would die down, and everything would go back to normal in a few moments.

But then, the little shift turned into an overwhelming wave that ripped right through her consciousness. All the Nyan Nyans in the palace screamed in fright and pain as the tsunami of evil ran right through them all. Taiitsu-kun herself was thrown off her usual perch in midair, and landed painfully on the floor.

"Taiitsu-kun!" The voice of a Nyan Nyan echoed to her ears, and in a few moments she was being helped up to her feet by close to a dozen of them. "Taiitsu-kun! Are you well?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," Taiitsu-kun, snapped as she got back to her feet, rearranging her robes as the Nyan Nyans backed off. They knew better than to try to help Taiitsu-kun, seeing how irate she was.

She inhaled, and nearly coughed. A foul smell was hanging in the air – the smell of evil, something that she had thought she had gotten rid of a long time ago.

She shivered. It couldn't be. He had been sealed a long time ago. She had seen to the job herself, casting all the necessary spells, placing much of her power into the seals: the chief reason why she appeared old and withered, and no longer young and beautiful. It could not _possibly_ be _him._

Could it?

Knowing that she should not leave anything to chance, she floated towards one of the many hallways of her palace, one that seemed to be made entirely of windows, each one covered with varicolored velvet drapes. She hovered in front of one, and murmured a spell under her breath.

Almost immediately, a gust of wind seemed to lift the drapes away from the window, affording her a glimpse through the frame and beyond. And what she saw stunned her to no end.

The window opened upon a dark chamber, the only light coming from the sparkle and glimmer of glowworms residing in cracks and fissures in the rock. In their soft glow, she saw chains engraved with magical sigils hanging from various points on the ceiling, walls, and floor, all forming a net inescapable whether by physical or magical force.

The chains led towards an enormous stone slab that sat in the middle of the chamber. She knew that there was supposed to be something – rather, _someone_ – chained to that rock, but that someone was gone.

She felt the blood run chill in her veins. Someone had broken through the seals. Someone had broken through the spells, and the chains, and released _him._

The drapes fell back into place, hiding the scene that had horrified her so much. She hovered there for a while, stunned beyond belief, but immediately collected her wits. This was _not_ the time for her to be concerned about herself. There were more important things that needed to be seen to, and she had to see to them _now_, before anything worse happened.

She drifted to a cul-de-sac not that far away, one that had four enormous mirrors, each with a golden frame, but the carvings of each frame were different: one had a serpent-tortoise, the one beside it had a dragon, the next a phoenix, and the last one a tiger.

She inhaled deeply, and called out, with all her might: "I summon you here before me, ye Four Gods who protect this world. I am Taiitsu-kun. Heed my words. Come before me as I call you by name: Genbu, God of the North; Seiryuu, God of the East, Suzaku, God of the South, and Byakko, God of the West."

For a moment, there was stillness, and then, a wind stirred in the air, heavy with the scent of incense and clean, pure sky. The glass of the mirrors darkened for a moment, and then brightened, as figures emerged behind the glass, one in each of them.

In the first mirror, the man who appeared had black hair which was tied back and looped once in the back, allowing the rest to fall down against the back of his black, green, and gold armor, the shoulder-piece shaped so as to look like the shell of a turtle. A green-and-brown snake with pupil-less white eyes was coiled around the man's neck and waist, resting its head against one of the shoulder-pieces. Eyes the color of light jade returned Taiitsu-kun's stare, acknowledging her presence.

The second man had long blue hair that was tied back in a half-ponytail at the back of his head. His armor was tinted blue, and embossed so as to give the image of a dragon twining across it. He also wore strange earpieces that gave the appearance of a dragon's ear-fins. His icy blue eyes regarded Taiitsu-kun with respect, but there was no denying the irritation that boiled just beneath the surface.

The third man who appeared in the third mirror was the complete opposite of his neighbor in the second mirror. He had short red hair that seemed to stand up of its own accord, giving the impression of the crest of some strange bird. He was clad in less armor than the first two, wearing only a crimson breastplate and a pair of shoulder pieces that appeared to be made of leather, not metal. To complete the impression that he gave of a bird, a pair of scarlet wings were spread out behind him. His eyes were like twin rubies of the finest quality, and they returned Taiitsu-kun's gaze with deference.

The man who appeared in the final mirror was also quite different from the other ones. He had short white hair that was held in place by a rather large circlet of gold set with what appeared to be pearls, and his armor was made mostly of leather, with a metal breastplate and shoulder pieces that were polished to a bright silver sheen. His arms were bare, covered only by white leather gauntlets that had been tooled with gold in an intricate and exotic design. His golden eyes carried a worried and somewhat pained cast to them, as if he was troubled by something that the others did not know about.

It was the man in green armor that spoke first. "Taiitsu-kun, what has happened? Why have you summoned us here?"

Taiitsu-kun gazed at him impassively. "You know what I have called you here for, Genbu."

"Does it have something to do with what we felt a while ago?" asked the man in red.

Taiitsu-kun sighed, and nodded. "Yes, Suzaku, it has something to do with that. In fact, it has _everything _to do with that."

The man in the blue armor frowned. "Does it mean that _he_ has been released?"

"Yes Seiryuu," replied the man in the white armor. He closed his eyes, and seemed to shiver. "I felt it first, and it was horrible. My lands lie closer to the land where he was chained, and I was the first to feel it, and got the brunt of it." He shook his head. "He has been unchained. It will not be long until-"

"That will _not_ happen, Byakko," Taiitsu-kun cut in sharply. "We shall not _allow_ it to happen. And there is still time yet. There is still time for us before this world collapses all around us and he moves into the other one."

"Then what should we do?" Suzaku asked. He glanced briefly at Seiryuu. "Seiryuu and I have some…business…that needs to be attended to."

Taiitsu-kun waved her hand. "The Summonings do not matter now. They are unimportant, and null and void in light of these events." She shook her head. "No, now is not the time for rivalries. We _must_ unite, or else a doom greater than could ever be imagined shall fall upon us.

"For this, we shall need all the strength that we can get. Byakko, I suggest that you rally together whoever of your Seishi are still alive. Genbu, it would be in your best interests to speak to Hikitsu and Tomite. I shall have to bring them back – we have no other choice. We are going to need their help, especially considering just whom we are up against." She turned away from them. "Now go, and make your preparations. We must gather our forces together, while there is still quiet in the world. When the storm comes, it may very well be too late."

The Four Gods bowed their heads, and disappeared from the mirrors, the glass brightening briefly, and then returning to normal in a few moments.

Taiitsu-kun drifted away from the mirrors, and over to another window – this time, one that overlooked the distant deserts of the west. Far away, just beyond the edge of her sight, she knew that darkness deeper than the night was beginning to spread across the sky, blotting out the light of the stars and of the gradually waning moon.

And she knew, at that moment, that the tapestry of fate had just changed drastically.

* * *

NOTE:

The way I have described the Four Gods is based on a manga scan that I came across while surfing the Internet, trying to hunt down inspiration. I spotted aforementioned manga scan in the Image Gallery of the site _Fushigi Yuugi – The Fire of Suzaku's Wings_, which is maintained by one Sharla-chan. I recommend that readers visit this site and look for the image I have mentioned in the Manga Scans section of the Image Gallery, because it will help in visualizing the Four Gods as I have written them here in this chapter.

Some of the details, like Byakko's gauntlets, however, are not clearly seen in the picture that I found, hence I had to make them up, based on what I _could_ see in the picture. I hope that this does not bother anyone overmuch.


	2. Chapter One: Seeking Aid

**Chapter One: Seeking Aid**

Keisuke could not believe what he had just read. There was going to be _more_ trouble than there already was? Gods, he thought, as if his little sister wasn't in _enough_ trouble already.

Tetsuya spoke up then. "I _really_ do not like the sound of that…"

"We've got to do something," Keisuke muttered as he stood up from where he had been sitting on the floor that whole time. "We've _got_ to pull Miaka out of there! It's not safe! If this is what I think it is, not even Tamahome and the other Seishi will be able to protect her!"

"Uh, Keisuke, if I heard correctly, _nowhere_ is safe – not even this world," Tetsuya pointed out. "Don't you remember? The book said that the evil would spread from that world and into this one. Miaka's going to be in danger, wherever she may go – whether she comes back here or stays in there."

Keisuke growled in frustration. "This is not _fair,_ damn it! What are we supposed to do, sit out and wait for the coming of the apocalypse? We ought to be able to _do_ something!"

Just then, a soft "thud" resounded from another part of the library. Keisuke and Tetsuya stiffened. Had they been caught? Was someone watching them? Had they been discovered?

After a long pause wherein no one appeared, Keisuke allowed himself to relax. He grinned wanly at his best friend, who also looked as if he had just had the fright of his life. It was nothing, Keisuke thought. They had not yet been found.

Tetsuya straightened up then, pushing his sunglasses further up his nose. "Let's go and see what that was."

Keisuke nodded, and followed Tetsuya through the maze of high shelves, picking his way through the semi-darkness, _The Book of the Four Gods: Sky and Earth_ clutched tightly against his chest. There was no way in hell that he was letting of the book, not until he had finished it and managed to get his little sister out of there.

Hang on a little longer, Miaka, he thought, hoping beyond hope that somehow, his thoughts would reach her through the many gaps of time and space.

Tetsuya stopped, and so did Keisuke. Looking over his best friend's shoulder, Keisuke noticed something lying on the ground in front of Tetsuya, and when he saw it, he felt his blood grow just a little colder.

It was a book. Another book.

Tetsuya glanced at Keisuke. "Books don't just _fall_ out of shelves, right?"

Keisuke swallowed. "Maybe someone else is in here," he said. Otherwise, it means that _that_ book has something to do with _this_ one, he thought. He shook his head to clear out that particular thought. He did _not_ want to think that way.

"If there was someone in here they would have found us by now," Tetsuya said, his voice betraying none of the panic that had crept into Keisuke's voice.

Keisuke had to admire his best friend for being so calm and cool during a crisis. Maybe that was why he was the first person who came into Keisuke's mind when he realized that this was something he could not handle on his own.

He watched as Tetsuya walked forward towards the book lying on the floor, picking it up delicately. It was old, just like the book that Keisuke was holding, but the paper of the pages was different. Keisuke could tell as much, since when Tetsuya opened the leather covering and turned the pages, they sounded a lot crisper than the paper of _The Book of the Four Gods._

"It's made of papyrus," Tetsuya murmured then, his fingers holding the pages by their corners and turning them delicately, almost daintily, as he leafed through the pages. He grimaced. "Oh damn it…"

"What? What's the problem?" Keisuke scooted over to stand beside Tetsuya. He focused his gaze on the book, and blinked.

The book was not written in Chinese. In fact, the letters looked a lot like those drawings he had seen in his World History textbook when his class was discussing ancient Egypt. What did his teacher call them again?

"I can't read this at all," Tetsuya declared as he closed the book. "It's all in hieroglyphics."

"Let me see," Keisuke said as he reached out to take the book from Tetsuya's hand. Holding it in his own, he suddenly realized just how fragile the whole thing was. Knowing that it would be best if he put it on something stable, he laid _The Book of the Four Gods_ in his right palm, and positioned the book Tetsuya had been looking at on top of it.

Only to stop when a soft glow of an indeterminate color began to emanate from the books when they were about an inch or two apart. Surprised, Keisuke pulled his hand back, and the glow subsided.

Tetsuya's voice was soft. "What in the world was _that_?"

Keisuke did not respond. Instead, he brought the two books closer to one another. Again, the same light radiated from the two books. He pulled the second book away from _The Book of the Four Gods,_ resting it, closed, on his left palm.

These two books are connected, Keisuke thought. There was something about the book that Tetsuya had found that connected it to the first one, though they didn't know how, exactly, because while they could read Chinese, none of them could possibly read hieroglyphics.

Tetsuya had obviously been thinking along the same lines, but he had also thought of a solution. "Keisuke," he said, "I think I might have an idea, but it's going to involve us telling someone else about this whole thing."

Keisuke's eyes narrowed at his best friend. "You mean, tell someone else about _The Book of the Four Gods?_"

"Not just 'someone'."

"You mean _more_ than one? Tetsuya, have you lost your mind? I don't want any more people involved in this!"

Tetsuya frowned at him, and Keisuke could almost see the glare that his friend was trying to shoot in his direction through the sunglasses. "Keisuke, we don't have much of a choice, do we? Besides, we can trust these people; I know we can."

Keisuke stared at Tetsuya for some time. "And just _who_ exactly did you have in mind?"

"You remember Deryn? You know, Deryn Kendall?"

Keisuke blinked. He certainly remembered Deryn Kendall: the only foreigner in their class and, as some of his more perverted classmates had said, probably the hottest girl around, what with her long blonde hair and stunning blue eyes. "Yeah. What about her?"

"She told me once that her parents were Egyptologists, and that they'd taught her and her older sister Seren how to read hieroglyphics," Tetsuya explained as he tried to find a way of tucking the book he had found into his jacket without doing any damage to it. "If there's anyone out there who can help us, it'd be those two."

Keisuke opened his mouth to argue against Tetsuya's idea, and realized that his best friend was right – _again._ He thought of his sister then, all alone in that world, about to face something that not even her Seishi could protect her from, and his mind was made up.

"Alright then," he said, tucking _The Book of the Four Gods_ into his jacket. "Let's go and drive over to their place. You _do_ know where they live, right?"

Tetsuya grinned, and nodded. "I do. Now come on, let's get out of here. Let's hope we can catch them before they head off to bed."

* * *

She sighed in relief as she stepped in from the cold outdoors, glad to feel the warmth of the house and smell the scent of her older sister's meat-and-potato stew perfuming the entire house.

"Seren! Seren, I'm home!" Deryn Kendall hollered as she slipped off her coat and hung it on the peg on the wall. After doing so, she headed towards the kitchen, following the delicious scent that was wafting from that direction.

Just like she expected, she found her sister standing over the stove, dressed in a pair of jogging pants and a loose T-shirt, with a rather silly-looking frilly pink apron covering everything. Her blonde hair was tied back from her face in a loose braid down her back for neatness – after all, neither Seren nor Deryn wanted to see yellow strands floating around in their stew when the sat down for dinner.

Seren took a moment to glance over her shoulder at Deryn, and smiled at her briefly before going back to stirring the stew. "Hey Deryn. How was school today?"

"Bad," Deryn muttered darkly. "Ancient Chinese philosophy is proving to be a very challenging course." She groaned, remembering the test that she took earlier that day. "God, I never imagined just how much _torture_ Professor Kigai could be!"

Seren's sigh was audible. "I hate to tell you this, but I told you so. You should've just stuck with Egyptology."

"But I'm _tired_ of Egyptology!" Deryn half-whined. "I mean, Ma and Da (1) always used to talk about it when we were kids, right? I want a change of subject, a change of pace!"

"So don't complain about how hard your life is. Remember, _you_ chose to take up ancient Chinese philosophy, not _them._ Now go and get us some wine while I put this stew on the table."

Deryn just rolled her eyes, and headed towards one of the cupboards, where she knew the bottles of red wine were. It had become something of a custom for the two of them to drink a glass of red wine each with dinner – at least, the moment Deryn was of a legal age to start drinking.

She hated it sometimes, when her sister had a point. Wasn't she allowed to _whine_ every now and then? She might have been twenty, but hey, sometimes a girl needs to vent and rant without being told that she's wrong.

But Seren was right. She had chosen to go into ancient Chinese philosophy, when it might have been better for her to go into Egyptology. Her parents were both Egyptologists, and were currently working on a dig somewhere near Giza. Seren herself had chosen to go into the same field, but Deryn hadn't, in spite of the fact that most of her life had been spent in and out of museums and hopping from one dig to the next, helping her parents when she could to translate hieroglyphics or research the origins of a particular artifact, or restore some damaged piece of pottery or faience.

That was the life that she and Seren had known since childhood. They had absorbed Egypt into their blood, so some of their parents' colleagues had joked. Instead of staying home in Wales, the two of them went wherever it was their parents went, and that was perfectly fine by them. It was a hard life, true, but it was one that had taught them many valuable lessons.

But Deryn was tired of that life. She wanted to do something else, something different – something that had no connection whatsoever with Egypt. She also wanted a sense of stability, to put down roots, as her mother had once said. She was tired of "the suitcase life" that she had lived for most of her life, and wanted someplace permanent to settle down in. After several years of receiving her lessons through the mail and eventually doing them over the Internet when that became popular, she wanted to go to an _actual_ school, and sit in an _actual_ classroom, and have _actual_ classmates she could talk to.

And so here she was, in Japan, studying ancient Chinese philosophy in the university that had the strongest reputation in that subject, while her sister worked in the museums as an expert on Egyptian artifacts and as a restorer of ancient documents.

She grabbed the half-empty bottle of wine in the cupboard, closed it, and headed towards the dining room, just as the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Seren called, and Deryn could hear her footsteps as she jogged to the door.

Deryn ignored whatever it was that went on there. It was probably just another one of those annoying door-to-door salespeople. Seren could deal with that any day.

However, as it so happened, it was _not_ a door-to-door salesperson, because when Seren walked back into the dining room, there were two men trailing right behind her.

Deryn blinked. She _recognized_ these men. "Keisuke? Tetsuya? What're you two doing here?"

Tetsuya grinned at her sheepishly. "Uh, hi Deryn. Sorry for barging in like this but, uh… We need to ask you and your sister for a favor."

Deryn glanced at her sister, who shrugged in response. "Hey, don't look at me," Seren said. "They said they'd tell the both of us at the same time."

"Um, yeah, that's what we're planning to do," Keisuke piped in. He looked around, embarrassed. "Uh, could we…go to the living room or something?"

Deryn shrugged, and gestured to the table. "I think it'd be best if you had dinner with us instead. While we're eating, you can tell us everything – though I do have to wonder why the two of you would suddenly come running here, and for what. Shouldn't the two of you be at home? Keisuke, don't you have a little sister who needs supervision or something?"

Keisuke frowned, while Tetsuya laughed, though Deryn could tell that it was a nervous one. "Ah…right. We'll tell you everything, as long as you promise not to say anything until Keisuke and I have both finished our stories."

_Now_ Deryn knew something was _definitely _up. She raised an eyebrow, and was about to demand an explanation, but Seren cut in before she could do so.

"Alright, we're okay with that." Seren nodded to the dining table. "Now come on you two, sit down, and while we're eating, you can tell us everything."

Keisuke and Tetsuya glanced at each other, as if for confirmation, and then hesitantly stepped towards the dinner table, and settled down.

Deryn looked at them curiously. Something was wrong, she could tell that much. "So," she began, as she ladled stew on their plates, "what was it you wanted to tell us?"

Keisuke glanced at Tetsuya, who waved his hand. Then the former looked at Deryn, and said: "Well, it goes something like this…"

* * *

"…and that's the state of things right now. We know that this book is related to _The Book of the Four Gods,_ but since neither Keisuke nor I can read hieroglyphics, we can't really tell just what sort of significance it has in relation to the events in _The Book of the Four Gods._ All we know is that they're connected."

Seren stared at Tetsuya as the younger man leaned back into his seat. The story he and Keisuke had just told was the most extraordinary she had ever heard, more suited for a fantasy or science fiction novel than reality.

"So what you're saying," Deryn said slowly, "is that Miaka, Keisuke's little sister, has been…sucked…into this book you call _The Book of the Four Gods,_ and that Yui, her best friend, is in there too. They are currently rivals, because they both want to summon the gods that they represent, and are now currently preparing to go after some magical items called Shinzahos. However, something new has come up that puts not just that world, but _this_ world in horrible danger."

Keisuke nodded uncertainly. There was no denying, after all, the sarcasm in Deryn's voice. "Yes, that's pretty much it."

Seren could practically see her younger sister's eyebrow disappear into her hairline. "You expect us to believe a hare-brained story like that?"

"May I see these books that you're talking about?" Seren cut in, seeing how Keisuke had tensed and was getting ready to stand up and start a word-war with her sister. The best way to prevent that was to interrupt – and Seren knew how and when best to employ that tactic.

The two boys looked at each other briefly, as if checking one another for confirmation. At length, Keisuke reached into his jacket, and pulled out a small, leather-bound book.

"This is _The Book of the Four Gods: Sky and Earth,_" he said softly as he placed it in Seren's open hand.

"You mean to tell me that you _stole_ the books from the library?" Deryn asked softly. "Seren, shouldn't we be calling the police or something?"

Seren ignored her sister and took the book from Keisuke's hand, and upon feeling the texture of the leather, frowned. It had been manhandled quite a bit, but at the very least it seemed sturdy enough to withstand whatever mistreatment it had undergone in Keisuke's hands. She flipped it over on her palm, and opened the book. It seemed quite normal to her – albeit a bit stained and weathered, but she assumed that it was natural. The illustrations were of a fine quality, and the calligraphy was first-rate. There was nothing wrong with this one – to her, it was just another book that had been most likely filed away in the library and then completely forgotten.

"Where's the other one?" She glanced up at Tetsuya, who seemed to flush under her stare, and brought out another book from his jacket. This one was also bound in leather, but the pages seemed a bit thicker than that of _The Book of the Four Gods._

It was only when she actually touched the pages did she realize what the material was. "Papyrus? A papyrus codex?"

Deryn spoke up then: "Means that it was made sometime during the Roman period, after the Ptolemaic dynasty was deposed by Caesar Augustus (2)."

Seren nodded. The ancient Egyptians preferred to use papyrus scrolls as opposed to codices because the nature of papyrus made it easier to roll them into scrolls instead of cutting them and binding them into books. Papyrus scrolls were still being used well into the latter days of the Ptolemaic dynasty, but gradually fell into disuse as codices became more popular. While papyrus codices had indeed been made before, they were extremely rare, since the majority of them were rumored to have been lost when the Library of Alexandria was destroyed.

Resisting the temptation to lick her fingertips in order to turn the page – the moisture of her saliva would only cause further damage to the already fragile papyrus – she peeled back the blank cover page, wincing a little when she heard the crackling of the papyrus. She thought of dashing off to the museum, where there was equipment better suited for such a delicate job, but she doubted if she could do that – at least, not when she was holding a document that had been borrowed without permission, as it were, from the archives of the National Library.

The first thing that caught her eye was the illustration on the first page. It was done in the bright, bold colors of the New Kingdom (3) style of Egyptian painting, and depicted a young woman clad in a riding outfit of leather and linen mounted on a sprightly-looking black mare, the two dashing across the desert. She rode bareback, a short sword hanging from her hip, a bow and a quiver of arrows slung across her back. This was actually quite a common scene, depicted often enough on the walls of tombs and temples.

What did not make sense to Seren, however, was the fact that this rider was a _woman_. Women were not employed in the army, and neither were they employed in any form of military exercise. Certainly, some queens exercised great political power during the reigns of their husbands, and some, like Hatshepsut (4), actually did rule as pharaohs in their own right, but none of them had ever been known to go on military expeditions, or at least, train in the military way. Their spheres of influence remained on the political and diplomatic fronts; war was the domain of the men.

Maybe the text will have the answers, Seren thought. That was how it usually was with ancient Egyptian artwork: if one could not conjecture the painting or mural's meaning based on the images, then always look for the text. The answer would most likely be therein.

She turned the page, which revealed row upon row of delicately drawn, but finely detailed, hieroglyphics. Seren could not help but gasp in sheer surprise at the beauty of the pictographs. She would not have been surprised if the text for this book had been written in hieratic (5), but the fact that it was written in hieroglyphics indicated that, whatever this document was, it was of great importance and value – most likely a previously unknown religious text.

She looked up at Keisuke and Tetsuya. "Where did you say you found this again?"

"In the National Library," Keisuke replied. He took the book from Seren's hands. "Look, I know you find it very hard to believe, but I can prove to you that our story is true." As he said so, he pulled _The Book of the Four Gods_ closer to him, and laid the other book on top of it.

Seren gasped, and heard Deryn's soft squeak of surprise as a bright light emanated from the two books.

"What was _that_?" Deryn murmured, as she looked first at Keisuke, then at Tetsuya. "If that was just some fancy special effect-"

"It _isn't,_" Tetsuya said emphatically. "We are not playing a joke, neither on you nor on your sister. We really, _really_ need your help here."

"If we don't translate this book," here Keisuke lifted the papyrus one that Seren had been looking at a few moments ago, "we'll never know what happens next in the story, and we won't know how to get my sister out of the book. Please Deryn, Seren: I'm _begging_ you. I – _we_ – need your help."

Seren glanced at her younger sister, who was looking back at her with a curious and almost helpless gaze. It was obvious that, whatever needed to be done, it was Seren's choice. Deryn would go along with whatever she decided.

Seren closed her eyes, and exhaled a breath, trying to calm herself down. What she had just seen – what she had just heard from Keisuke and Tetsuya – was ridiculous, almost absurd. People did not get sucked into books. Books did not glow when they come into contact with one another.

Oddly enough, a line from Shakespeare's tragedy _Hamlet_ came to mind: _"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy…"_

"So will you help us?" Tetsuya asked.

Seren opened her eyes, and looked at the two young men sitting across the table from her, and nodded her head. "Yes, we'll help you."

Deryn sighed, and stood up. "I'm going to go and lock the doors and close the curtains. Don't want anyone seeing what we're doing in here."

Seren sighed, but smiled as she watched Deryn exit the room. As she disappeared around the corner, she turned to Keisuke and Tetsuya, and said: "Look, why don't you two go to the study? It's the room on the right-hand side of the living room. Deryn and I will just clean up here, and then we'll follow you. Don't hesitate to make yourselves comfortable; I have a feeling it's going to be a long night."

* * *

(1) "Ma" and "Da" are two shorthand terms used to refer to "mother" and "father," respectively, in countries like Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, where the Celtic language is spoken.

(2) The Ptolemaic Dynasty of Egyptian rulers was established by General Ptolemy, one of Alexander the Great's favored companions. After Alexander died Ptolemy chose to settle in the city of Alexandria, where he founded a dynasty that lasted for 250 years, well into the time of the Romans. The dynasty ended with the death of Queen Cleopatra, and Egypt then became a part of the Roman Empire. This happened at around 31 BC, during the rise of Octavius (Caesar Augustus) to power after the assassination of Julius Caesar.

(3) One of the historical periods of ancient Egyptian history, which stretched from 1550 BC to 1070 BC. It was during this time that some of the most famous kings of ancient Egypt, like Tutankhamun and Rameses II, lived and ruled.

(4) Hatshepsut, or Ma'atkare', was a Queen-Pharaoh, the fifth ruler of the 18th Dynasty, and lived from 1473 BC to approximately 1458 BC. During her reign as pharaoh she assumed all the male titles and even the male garb that was traditional of pharaohs. She is most renowned for her building projects; unlike her male counterparts, she is not known for having led any military expeditions or the like.

(5) Hieratic is a type of shorthand used for day-to-day record keeping in ancient Egypt, since the hieroglyphics that are depicted on the walls of temples and tombs are far too impractical for everyday use.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

**methodic madness** - Thank you for taking the time to write a long and comprehensive review of my first chapter.

Forgive me if the description of the Four Gods seemed tedious; it was, as you had guessed, for the benefit of those who had not yet seen images of the Four Gods. I wanted to ensure that they would be able to see the gods as they had appeared to Taiitsu-kun, just in case. Though yes, even I will admit that it sounds tedious, but it is solely because of the fact that you and I have actually seen pictures of them already.

As for Genbu bringing up the Seishi and his Miko, I have fixed that already when I redid the previous chapter. It was a very raw chapter that I placed up, and I should have taken more care in that aspect.

Concering Irisi, I do not think you will have much to worry about her. In the first place, I do not think I will be pairing her up with any of the Suzaku, Seiryuu, or even Byakko and Genbu Seishi, though that may change as the story progresses, depending upon my whim. As for the new characters in this chapter - the Kendallsisters -I am still not sure if I will work on _that_ particular angle I had in mind, but if not, then neither of them will be finding their way into the book - or books.

And you are right: my summary is rather misleading because it makes it out as if Irisi went to seek aid from Konan first. That is not necessarily the truth -since she came from the southwest, she would have come across Sailo first, and then headed where she would, but where she goes after passing through Sailo will be something to come out in the next chapters.

I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, and will continue to read more as I slowly put up the rest of this story. Again, I thank you for your review.

**Cheeto** - Thank you for reviewing my story. I hope that you will continue to read as I putmore of this story up gradually. Again,I thank you.


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